Bahamas Hurricane Relief by Cruisers

[GordMay]

Greetings and belated welcome aboard the CF, WatchingWaves
Great report, on great work!

Keep up the excellent work, Palarran, and others.

[Steven UK]

If this will help anyone in Abaco... I will be sailing from Nassau to Green Turtle Cay on the 20th and returning before the 26th. I can transport people or stuff, let me know via PM. I’m going to try and salvage my boat before too much secondary damage is done.

Regards Steven (Khensu)

[Palarran]

Just a quick note to those who are looking at heading to Grand Bahama or Abaco, my existing insurance carrier and another who I price checked are excluding these two areas from their navigation limits - period.

We still intend to go regardless as we feel confident in the boat and committed to the mission, but it is something to consider for those passing through.

[polaris2.11]

Pelican on MoW will be needing new rigging, stainless tube for stanchions, pulpit/pushpit, and bimini hoops, possibly an outboard motor, paint, etc. If any of y'all headed this way might be able to transport some of these goods, please let me know. Still need help with welding as well.

Btw, Beth Browne, aka MoW volunteer coordinator and executive assistant is Pelican crew, along with her partner Eric, who will fix you a breakfast sandwich, serve you lunch, and may join you working on roofs and gutting houses when he is not working on the boat.

[Palarran]

Come on Guys, Things are starting to look up.

https://cbs12.com/weather/hurricane-...as?jwsource=em

If no one is able to join me at least stop in for a beer on your way past. I have been in contact with a few on-the-ground LEGITIMATE groups and am coming much closer to figuring out where at least Palarran is going.

[Figincol]

We will be heading towards the Bahamas from Miami in mid-November. We could stop by the Abacos for a week or two and help. How do we get plugged in to the latest plans?

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Figincol

We will be heading towards the Bahamas from Miami in mid-November. We could stop by the Abacos for a week or two and help. How do we get plugged in to the latest plans?

I have exchanged e-mails with this group several times last week and think it really might be the best fit for me. I plan on calling them this week to discuss the work more. One thing that is a bonus is that your boat will be inside the old Treasure Cay Harbor. It's my understanding from their correspondence that we will be working for elderly and those that don't have resources to repair their homes, but I want to verify that completely.

https://www.treasurecaycommunity.com...o0J_ao_jqHBL8A

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Figincol.

[Figincol]

Sounds good
Please send along what you find out when you call them

When would you be going there ?
How long would you plan to stay?

[Palarran]

To all concerned:

I just got off the phone with Ed Newell who is a local Bahamian resident and heads the North Abaco Rebuilding Initiative (NARI). He sounds committed to working with cruisers who can come and help their projects, which span from Treasure Cay up to Cooperstown. They are receiving funding and purchasing large quantities of supplies, some of which arrived on a barge today. We (Palarran) are still almost 6 weeks away from arrival so it shouldn't be a problem for him to have jobs arranged. He mentioned transportation, which may be supplied or could require the rental of a car. That wasn't 100% clear but if there isn't transportation available, the need for work to be done in Treasure Cay proper is huge - years and years worth. Their goal right now though is to get the settlements up and livable, then hire the residents to rebuild Treasure Cay.

There are multiple benefits of working with Treasure Cay and NARI that I see. First is that we can use the harbor at Treasure Cay as a base. It's protected and central. This is specially important to me as my insurance coverage excludes Grand Bahama and Abacos so lessening risk is a good thing. And when I look at the individual names listed as leadership and support team members, it's easily apparent that this is a serious and local group. I stressed to Ed that it is, at least for Palarran, our desire to help those who won't receive much assistance otherwise and he said "No Problem".

I explained to Ed that there are multiple boats looking at coming to the area as they either pass through or as a destination in their cruising. He would prefer to get a list of arrival times, crew size, names, phone numbers, specific skills if possible, etc. And, if he can get them as far ahead of time as possible it will allow them to plan better.

If any of you would like to join this effort at anytime, please PM me your Name, e-mail address, phone number, expected arrival date and planned duration, crew size, and any special skills you might have to offer. I'll get Ed this information as it comes in.

NARI

A few notes: Maxwells is supposed to reopen in a few weeks, gas and diesel is available, there are a couple bars and restaurants open, and from what I've read, it is safe to travel to and work here.

Finally for this post, many people have posted names of organizations, people, and places as suggestions that need help. I've spent a substantial amount of time researching, calling, and thinking about almost all of them. While this is my suggestion and the course we are going to follow, there are a lot of others.

[Palarran]

Several members have posted that they would be interested in helping but don't currently have a boat. We will have room on Palarran for some extra crew.

We are planning on leaving Palm Beach on December 3rd and arrive in the Abacos on the 5th, no later than the 6th. I'm breaking down the period into two weeks and for now, if you would like to join me, you would need to sign up for one or the other, or both. It would be from December 6th to 13th and 13th to 20th. Food and shelter will be provided and I'll be happy to pay for incidentals that come up on the island, which shouldn't be much. You would be responsible for transportation costs and coming prepared.

It's my understanding that Bahamas Air is running regular daily flights from Nassau to Abaco. If anyone comes they should have work boots, gloves, long pants, eye protection, and it wouldn't hurt to have a long sleeve shirt also. I have a washing machine so we can do daily loads of laundry. You should be able to pack everything into a single duffle bag.

PM or email david@belaire.com

[Figincol]

Thanks!

[La Vie Dansante]

My wife and I begin voyaging full-time at the end of the year. We'd like to spend our first few weeks in the Bahamas helping with long term recovery. I'm a retired US Navy flier and former Red Cross executive who has just retired from United Way and my wife is a skilled photographic artist. We'd bring our own accommodations, of course.
Can someone connect me with an effort to plug into on or about January 3rd?

[Palarran]

It's kind of quiet here. Is anyone planning on heading to Grand Bahama or the Abacos? If so, what are your plans and time frame?

We will be working to bring Palarran back from Freeport to Palm Beach in a week. Then we will be stocking up and getting ready to head to the Abacos. If anyone is thinking about joining me on Palarran please let me know soon.

[La Vie Dansante]

We're trying to connect with someone there knowledgeable about need. We've heard conflicting accounts, though. Some say it's still not advisable to come. We'd welcome some updated info on status of navigable water and need.